20 of the Best Horror Books To Hunker Down With This Halloween – Yahoo Lifestyle

Horror movies and their terror-inspiring special effects are great at getting you into the Halloween mood, but when it comes to a more intimate horror experience you just cant beat a good, old-fashioned book. Written words have the ability to get into your head and stay there, using your own imagination to up the scare factor long after youve finished those last pages.

This Halloween, weve rounded up some of the chilliest, scariest and downright horrific horror books out there, from classics to more modern takes. Whether youre in the mood for a spooky ghost story, a helping of psychological terror or a downright gory tale, weve got you covered with 20 of the best horror books ever written below.

Shirley Jackson is so renowned for her horror stories that theres now a literary award in her name thats given to horror and psychological suspense writers annually at Readercon. But its this tome that is by far her crowning achievement. Not only was it a National Book Award finalist but many genre fans look towards the haunting house tale and its rich tapestry of characters as horror canon. Meanwhile, the story has since been adapted into two feature films, a play and a Netflix series.

Haunting Hill House book cover

Buy: The Haunting of Hill House $13.99

Fans might not all love the particular way that this famous novel was written (there are plenty of letters, articles and diary entries to sift through, after all), but the story itself and the famed vampire in question absolutely withstand the test of time. Of course, the 1992 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola didnt hurt the books popularity, either. Over his career, Stoker wrote several pieces of fiction and non-fiction alike, but in 2018 a Time article revealed that Dracula may have originally been intended for the latter category. In our eyes that makes this book even scarier.

Dracula book cover

Buy: Dracula $14.95

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No matter how many screen iterations of this King tome are made, nothing can compare to the written prose with which this horror mastermind terrorized (yet mesmerized) readers. Creepy clowns, childhood trauma, and the way the It in question used the characters own fears against them all culminated in a memorable read that helped to solidify Kings place in the horror genre.

It book cover

Buy: It $14.00

Monsters have always been popular horror subject matter, but thats largely thanks to the influence of this gothic horror novel, which Mary Shelley began writing when she was just 18 years old. The idea of playing God and then being terrified by the results is now a prevalent theme across the arts, while the horror book itself has spawned an interesting conversation about feminist criticism, given how critics at the time changed their tune once they realized the uncredited work theyd been kicking back and forth was actually written by a woman.

Frankenstein book cover

Buy: Frankenstein $7.95

Stephen King notoriously hated the way Stanley Kubrik adapted this novel into the 1980 film, despite the movies giant following. Thats in part because Kings tale is more nuanced and character-driven than the big-screen iteration, offering readers an in-depth look at a man driven to madness. Sure, it doesnt have an elevator of blood, creepy twin girls or Jack Nicholson shouting, Heres Johnny! but there are plenty of other ghastly and blood-curling moments in the written work, including a much more explosive ending.

The Shining book cover

Buy: The Shining $25.99

There are few horror authors as influential as H.P. Lovecraft, whose stories punctuated the 1920s with cosmic terrors and narratives that went beyond your traditional ghost tales. Given that the guy had a penchant for short stories and there are so many good ones to choose from, anyone looking to get into the authors works might want to start with this collection, which features seven of his stories including The Alchemist and of course, The Call of Cthulhu.

HP Lovecraft book cover

Buy: The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories $14.99

Satanic babies, creepy neighbors, a guy caught between his career and his family and a woman terrified to give birth? Its no wonder this novel caught on with readers in its debut (or that parts of the novel were heavily censored in various countries for glorifying the devil). But to this day it remains one of the creepiest horror books in the genre, and its themes of paranoia and misogynistic metaphors continue to influence horror spin-masters today.

Rosemary's Baby book cover

Buy: Rosemarys Baby $15.95

One of the more recent horror books on this list, House of Leaves isnt scary per se. But it is definitely a mood, one that sits with you well after youve finished it. The story of a house that is bigger on the inside than out is disturbing in itself, but its the way Danielewski plays with the books structure (at one point you need to rotate it in order to read it properly) that really makes this a unique and interactive read.

House of Leaves book cover

Buy: House of Leaves $19.49

Technically Poes short story isnt a novel, but it deserves a place on this list as it is one of the first in-depth looks at true psychological horror. It also paved the way for characters like Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter. The story of an unreliable narrator who strives to convince the reader of his sanity all while describing the murder he committed is Gothic fiction at its best, making this one of the horror masterminds most famous offerings.

The Tell-Tale Heart book cover

Buy: The Tell-Tale Heart $12.99

Is there anything scarier than monsters that attack children? What about a monster that abducts children, brings them to a place called Christmasland, and then sucks their souls in order to restore his own youth? This vampiric novel (written by Stephen Kings son) follows one such monster named Charlie Manx. It was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award when it was released in 2013 and praised for its rich world of characters and nuanced themes of family and the price of creativity. Of course, the fact that it was also adapted into a TV series and a comic book only helped to bolster this books popularity.

NOS4A2 book cover

Buy: NOS4A2

The world in which this classic tale was written is vastly different than the one we live in today, but so many of the themes hold up. The story of a group of marooned boys trying to self-govern themselves to disastrous results isnt a comparable horror to some of the others on this list, but it does unveil the true horror of human nature. Since its release, this book has topped best-of lists around the world, and as Goldings debut novel it spawned an impressive career that culminated in the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983.

Lord of the Flies book cover

Buy: Lord of the Flies $10.95

This Japanese horror manga series, written and illustrated by Ito, first appeared as a serial in Big Comic Spirits in the 1990s. The story of the small coastal town Kurouzu-cho and the UZUMAKI spiral that haunts it has since been compiled into one single volume, and widely discovered by new and die-hard genre fans alike. So what makes it so terrifying? Unlike many other horror offerings, in which you can pinpoint the thing doing the terrorizing, in this story the Big Bad is nothing more than a spiral shape that infects an entire town and twists minds and bodies alike.

Uzumaki book cover

Buy: Uzumaki $34.95

The gothic story of a woman who impulsively marries a rich widower only to discover that his home is haunted by his late wife has been recreated plenty of times over the years, including the recent Netflix adaption and the 1940 Oscar-winning film by Alfred Hitchcock. None of those projects really capture the psychological horror of the original, however, or its themes of power and yes, toxic masculinity. The book was a best-seller when it was released, and it remains one of the best horror books ever written today.

Rebecca book cover

Buy: Rebecca $14.86

Grief and monsters intersect in this King offering, in which a doctor moves his family to a new home in rural Maine. There, a mysterious burial ground hidden behind the familys new home offers up the promise of life after death, but with a chilling catch. The book is filled with lots of creepy scares, especially for the parents out there, and its the kind of read that sits with you long after youve finished.

Pet Sematary book cover

Buy: Pet Sematary $51.10

If you like your horror with a side of literary prose, this classic ghost story fits the bill. Its based on a real woman, which somehow makes it even scarier, and follows the family of former slaves in Cincinnati whose home is haunted by a spirit. Its a deep read that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988, and in 2006 it was ranked as one of The New York Times best works of American fiction. On the flip side, the horror book has also been banned from a handful of schools as a result of the super dark content, which includes bestiality, infanticide and violence, among other subjects.

Beloved book cover

Buy: Beloved $9.31

While two big-screen adaptations of this book have now been made, the original tome features more scares than both combined. On the surface, its a story of a lawyer who arrives at a widows estate in a small English town in order to settle her affairs. But go deeper and this is a dark ghost story that includes all of those scary and creepy things that make you want to check the corners of your closet before turning your light off for the night.

Woman in Black book cover

Buy: The Woman in Black $17.86

This classic story that spawned those head-turning movies features all of the scares and horror from the films, but its able to go even deeper into the characters psyches and motivations. If you havent read this horror book its a great companion to further your own experience with the story, especially if youre here for the psychological horror.

The Exorcist book cover

Buy: The Exorcist $22.99

If youre looking for a more gruesome haunted house read, Mathesons book is where its at. The fast-paced storyline is full of vivid physical horror and features plenty of violent and gory scenes, and while some have compared it to The Haunting of Hill House, there are plenty of differences to make them both worth a look.

Hell House book cover

Buy: Hell House $15.99

One of the more modern offerings on our list, Tremblays horror book puts a whole new spin on the exorcist genre that makes it feel more relevant for new horror audiences. When a 14-year-old girl begins showing signs of acute schizophrenia, a local Catholic priest agrees to an exorcism and he brings along a camera crew to capture the action. Fast forward to 15 years later and the girls younger sister recounts the horrific behind-the-scenes happenings of the hit reality show, not to mention the events that have gone down ever since.

Head Full of Ghosts book cover

Buy: A Head Full of Ghosts $14.49

The real-life story of the Donner Party a group of American pioneers who migrated to California from the Midwest in 1846 but got stuck in the Sierra Nevada mountain range where they resorted to cannibalism to survive is haunting enough on its own. Katsus retelling not only re-examines that terrifying story, but it adds in a creepy supernatural element for a whole new layer of chilling horror, making this a must-have for lovers of horror books.

The Hunger book cover

Buy: The Hunger $12.88

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20 of the Best Horror Books To Hunker Down With This Halloween - Yahoo Lifestyle